The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has yet to be directly analysed as a military security complex with significant political influence. This book explores Iran’s IRGC and Qods Force, focussing on its development following the Iranian Revolution, and how they have skilfully transformed Iran’s defense doctrine to fight a hybrid war that challenges the US and the West. Chapters detail the birth of the IRGC, its political development and influence within Iran, its relationship to militias and terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, and involvement in Yemen and Iraq. Keshavarz brings first-hand knowledge of what government institutions are looking for with respect to the IRGC, outlining Iran’s hybrid war capabilities that the US and West often misunderstand or miss altogether, in order to provide a foreign policy analysis that identifies the challenges of Iran’s irregular capabilities and what measures are needed to combat it.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has yet to be directly analysed as a military security complex with significant political influence. This book explores Iran’s IRGC and Qods Force, focussing on its development following the Iranian Revolution, and how they have skilfully transformed Iran’s defense doctrine to fight an irregular war that challenges the US and the West. Chapters detail the birth of the IRGC, its political development and influence within Iran, its relationship to militias and terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, and involvement in Yemen and Iraq. Keshavarz brings first-hand knowledge of what government institutions are looking for with respect to the IRGC, outlining Iran’s hybrid war capabilities that the US and West often misunderstand or miss altogether, in order to provide a foreign policy analysis that identifies the challenges of Iran’s irregular capabilities and what measures are needed to combat it.